


Against the stars

by huashan



Series: old baekyeol abo/wolf aus [2]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: ABO, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cheating, M/M, Wolf AU, kinda angsty, kinda??
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-12-26 00:19:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18272003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/huashan/pseuds/huashan
Summary: Baekhyun's breath itches and Chanyeol's wolf wails loudly in his ears "If we're reallysoulmates" he says, fearing the word he speaks, his skin crawls with chills "This must be one of the lives we don't spend together."





	Against the stars

**Author's Note:**

> once again this is pretty old and the way i wrote it leaves a bit of a time gap towards the end, i hope you won't mind it too much.
> 
> and just in case the school system seems weird, it might be because i've described the system in my country

University isn't leaving him a single free moment, not even to breathe.

The pressure of the last year is slowly, but surely getting to Chanyeol; he doesn't pass any chance to complain, although even if he weren't complaining, no one could ignore the sheer panic filling his heavily tired eyes at all times.

"I'm going to die. Lee wants me dead." he puts down his pen and continues to mutter to himself as he holds his desperate head between his clammy palms. This assignment is hell, he decides.

From the other side of the long table Yifan looks at him stunned, just before putting a finger on his lips and shushing his friend "They're gonna kick us out again if you keep making all this noise." he whispers and Chanyeol wails, although at a lower volume than before.

"I can't become a fucking doctor, Yifan! What am I gonna do?" Chanyeol's panicking state is dangerous, but Yifan has seen him in this state enough times to know that it won't have any consequences. This time, though, Chanyeol legitimately feels just a couple of minutes from dropping out of university, so he makes the executive decision of pulling himself out of the stress for at least a couple of hours; he gathers his books and puts everything in his backpack, decided on leaving the library and all the negativity behind.

"Where are you going? The assignment-" Chanyeol extends his arm and puts his palm a couple of inches from Yifan's nose, making him stop "Chanyeol!" Yifan shout-whispers; it doesn't work though and their discussion promptly ends when some of the other students occupying the library start eyeing them as if they were the reasons for all their misery, Chanyeol can only empathize with them.

He doesn't stop long enough to give to Yifan a chance to follow him; he storms out of the large room, slipping among the tall shelves filled with books, trying to produce the least amount of noise he can manage. When he's out of the building his wolf preens inside him and he feels at peace again.

  
The same peace dissolves the day after, when he wakes up and realizes that he has less than a couple of hours to bring his unfinished assignment to his biology professor, but instead of running around trying to do what he's supposed to, he just keeps lying on his bed, sprawled like a starfish, too occupied with regretting all his life choices to bother to do anything else. Being an alpha really doesn't help anything, he finds himself fighting with his wolf most of the times and almost every time he indulges it he ends up with nothing but a whole lot of regrets and desperation.

His phone rings at full blast with the most obnoxious ringtone he's ever heard, he curses Jongdae and swears to never lend him his phone again, he has played this joke on him too many times already. With some difficulty, he takes the phone from the floor and pushes his finger on the green icon, already groaning at the contact of his caller "Yifan..." he whines aloud and curls on his bed.

"Chanyeol, where are you? There's the deadline today!" his fists tighten and he barely holds his wolf from snarling, he hates when Yifan does this; of course he knows that there's the deadline and he doesn't care, he can't kill himself because he hates professor Lee and his hellish subject

"I'll just do the entire exam at the end of the semester." he closes his eyes and says, feeling a weight lift off his shoulders at the mere mention of the solution.

"...But you said- Yeah, ok, never mind." Yifan stops himself, put off by the finality of Chanyeol's tone. Chanyeol's grateful he doesn't pry "Hey, do you want to come to our place on Saturday? Jongdae and the others are coming too... We can watch a movie, I don't know..." Chanyeol finishes Yifan's statement in his head: _get drunk, forget about Lee and university_.

"I'm in!" he says without thinking about it twice, already eager to drown his worries in alcohol and his friend's company.

"And my boyfriend's transfer has been approved, he's going to move here during the weekend." Yifan adds as an afterthought, Chanyeol's features leave the scowl they had been holding for the past few days to morph in a bubbly snicker

" _Oh_! We're finally going to meet the husband!"

"Shut up." Yifan's grumbly words make Chanyeol laugh out loud. Teasing Yifan always brings his morale right back up, especially when it's something as annoyingly sweet and romantic as Yifan's not-so-secret wish to propose to his better half. They were all expecting the day Baekhyun would have joined them in Seoul, they're dying to know who's the omega keeping Yifan on a leash, not to mention that he is studying to be a doctor like Chanyeol, so he'll have all the time in the world to convince him to spill Yifan's worse and most embarrassing secrets. He loves seeing Yifan crack, he's the softest alpha he knows and a good friend, even if he nags when he shouldn't. He and Chanyeol aren't all that different, but the latter's always been a bit less skilful in concealing his moods, always bit too impetuous.

  
Eventually, Saturday comes around and Chanyeol has to sit through two hours of anatomy before going to Yifan's. Fortunately, it's one of his favourite subjects, he never fails to get invested in professor Zhang's lectures and always come out of them knowing something new about himself; today, though, he's having a hard time focusing.

The professor has been going round and round talking about imprinting and soulmates, repeating times and times again that it's part of the material for the exam, as if it were of any real importance at all. Finally, a girl sitting in the front row raises her hand and voices Chanyeol's exact thoughts

"But, professor Zhang, soulmates aren't that common..." the professor cocks his head and scans the room, suddenly Chanyeol feels stared at, put on the spot and he wonders if it's the same for the others.

"Each of you has a soulmate, it just depends on if you choose to accept it or, as they say, fight against the stars." It feels wrong to talk so seriously of what is basically a legend in a faculty of medical science, especially during such a fact based subject like anatomy; but what feels even worse is how Chanyeol's skin crawls in chills as professor Zhang smiles and continues with his class.

  
"'Yeol, hurry up! You're gonna ruin the party!" Jongdae whines from where he's lying on Chanyeol's bed, while the latter is locked in the bathroom trying to figure out what is the reason for the turmoil in his stomach. He just ends up swallowing a couple of painkillers, he's a future doctor after all, that's what he's been taught to do.

He gets out and Jongdae drives him to Yifan's, he doesn't shut up for a single second and for once Chanyeol feels grateful, he's helping him keep his mind off his uncomfortableness.

Sehun opens the door, his mouth is already full so he doesn't speak, instead he nods in greeting and makes way for them,

"Hey guys!" Yifan's head peeks from behind the wall of his kitchen and a few moments later another, unfamiliar head follows him. Jongdae passes Chanyeol and strives forward, the taller closes the front door, his nose scrunches up at the mixture of scents and his ears pick up as Jongdae's loud voice shouts in glee

"Baekhyun?!" Chanyeol turns, his eyes wide and his mouth schooled in a little confused pout. He enters the kitchen and finds Kyungsoo giving more food to Sehun, Junmyeon sitting on the table and Jongdae jumping excitedly on his feet; what really strikes him, though, is Yifan and the short man hugging his waist. The man must be the same unfamiliar face he had seen before, he figures, and what seems to be Yifan's boyfriend.

Chanyeol, for a moment, loses the ability to control his senses, his eyes wander around the room, he doesn't know searching for what, until he's startled by Kyungsoo's laughter as Sehun almost chokes on a handful of chips.

"Hey, 'Yeol" Yifan calls out for him and he brings himself to look at him; he does, but he's soon distracted by the hands grasping the front of his friend's sweater, they seem more intriguing than anything else in the room, until Yifan dwarfs them with his own and pulls them away; Chanyeol's throat constricts, his wolf awakes without his consent again and smells quietly the new scent in the air. A few moments later he's faced by the short man, Yifan pushing him from behind  
"This is Baekhyun!"

 _Baekhyun_.

His wolf's deeper voice whispers in his ears, he keeps his lips sealed trying not to give to it any access to the outside, but breathing from his nose makes the other's feeble scent even more noticeable. Baekhyun looks at him confused, his eyebrows are scrunched up and Chanyeol catches his Adam's apple bob, his own does the same. His tense expression breaks in an awkward smile as he extends his hand. The shorter boy hasn't voiced his feelings, but somehow Chanyeol recognizes in his stance the same strange sensations he is feeling in his own body. His eyes move between the man's face and his hand, he reaches forward tentatively; around him there's a loud rendition of his friends' voices, every sound is perceived as muffled and deafening. Their hands finally meet and Chanyeol gulps, he focuses on his own hand, trying hard not to acknowledge the other's presence.

"N-Nice to meet you" a raspy, low voice speaks and Chanyeol hums with his own unsteady one. He dares a glance and he's damned, Baekhyun's dark, straight hair look soft and glossy, his lips are still parted and Chanyeol watches them longer than he should. Baekhyun has palms smaller than his and his fingers are long, nimble as they sneak on the back of Chanyeol's hand and almost to his wrist. The room spins around him and now that they've started, his eyes can't stop from gliding on every part of the other's figure.

Baekhyun his looking back at him, but when their eyes meet he grimaces and avoids his gaze, he pulls his hand back and Chanyeol's wolf growls playfully, ecstatic with the meeting and the omega holding their hand. That single sound is enough to pull Chanyeol out of his senseless stupor and retreat his hand, brushing off his pause with a laugh that tastes of uncharted, exciting and guilty feelings. When Jongdae pulls him in a chokehold, calling him a fucking weirdo, he sees and feels Baekhyun's eyes falter on him and move away the moment Chanyeol sneaks a glance towards him.

Baekhyun is amazingly handsome, anyone would have stared for a moment too long and surely, any wolf would be delighted by the vicinity of an omega like him. That's what Chanyeol tells himself to relieve some the utter embarrassment of having groped Yifan's boyfriend's hand for a couple of minutes, while staring at his face like an idiot.

"So, since Chanyeol fucked up his semester again-"

"What?!" Chanyeol's hands raise, asking for an explanation for the sudden slander. They all move to sit in Yifan, Junmyeon and Sehun's living room, Chanyeol takes his usual spot on the floor and continues to glare at Jongdae

"-We've decided to watch all your favourites." Jongdae continues his sentence without batting an eyelash, not affected by Chanyeol's threatening gaze; Yifan snickers from his side and Baekhyun smiles from where he's settled on his boyfriend's lap.

Chanyeol has to move his gaze as soon as he looks at them, feeling a vicious feeling dip in his stomach. There is absolutely no reason for him to feel such strong emotions for Yifan's boyfriend, he can't even tell if they're positive or negative feelings. Sure, he's pretty and he has a very cute laugh and his eyes smile up at Chanyeol when he looks at him... But he's literally just a guy he met less than an hour ago _and_ Yifan's almost mate.

Eventually, Jongdae enters one of the dvds in the player and Chanyeol's ears pick up at the familiar tune playing from the tv, he sits a bit straighter when the image of an animated jungle comes on.

From behind him Sehun groans, grumbling about who thought this would have been a good idea, Jongdae chuckles, while taking the spot on Chanyeol's side, Kyungsoo and Junmyeon seem too invested in their own conversation to comment on Chanyeol's taste in movies.

He has seen the Lion King enough times to know most of the script by heart; seeing it is usually a very efficient way to pull himself together and out of a slump, hopefully, it'll also prove itself to be the perfect antidote for the uncomfortableness he's experiencing. He sings all the songs and gasps at every plot-twist without any faltering, today though, it feels a bit void. A bit pointless.

They sit through half of the movie without saying much, apart from Sehun whining to Junmyeon and Yifan laughing at some of the jokes. Chanyeol clutches his knees against his chest and lets his hands fall on the carpet beneath him.

On his side, Yifan whispers something against Baekhyun's neck, not that Chanyeol is looking, but even without looking it'd be kind of hard to ignore their giggling. His nails dig in the carpet and his throat swallows thickly around feelings he doesn't know how to name. Is it jealousy? He's not jealous of Yifan, he's not jealous of his happiness, or at least he doesn't think he is.

His silent pondering is making him estrange himself from the room, his favourite film plays in front of his eyes but he can't bring himself to favour it over his brooding, even if his friends are all making an effort to bring up his mood. He just can't ignore the uncanny feeling still settled in his bones, he feels wronged and out of place in the room that's usually his safe haven and the only change in the scene that can be blamed is the short, beautiful man sitting between Yifan's legs.

He dares a look, the last one, he tells himself. His heart-rate speeds up as he finds two welcoming irises of deep brown luring him in, boring holes where they stare on his skin. He snaps his head back towards the tv willing the alpha inside him to quieten or at least explain what might be going on. There's some shifting on his side and seconds after, Yifan's long legs pass in front of him as he informs the small group that he's going to take something to drink.

Chanyeol curls a bit more on himself and then freezes as a soft touch caresses his hand. The light stroking becomes a tight grasp and from the corner of his eye he sees Baekhyun, _Yifan's boyfriend_ , look down and his chest race irregularly. Chanyeol gives in for a moment, turning his head towards him, pushed by nothing but his instinct and the restless wolf inside him, he turns his hand in the other's grip and holds the slimmer hand just as hard, harder and then so tight that it becomes an act of sheer possession. It's a touch that burns and marks. Baekhyun looks up and scoots towards him, his shoulder bumps into Chanyeol's and his presence becomes heady, it makes Chanyeol's thoughts stumble and knot in vicious circles of lovely aches and guilt, because he's his best friend's omega and he's losing himself in his eyes, in the way his warm breath hits faintly the skin of his neck and in the images of what it'd be like to smell his scent, to just lean in and have a real sniff of the weak sweetness hidden under Yifan's scent, to taste something that isn't his to have.

"Coke or sprite?" Chanyeol stands up and hopes his expression won't give away any of the emotions pent up inside him. Yifan eyes him warily, clearly wondering what's wrong. Chanyeol doesn't make the effort to speak at all as he nears the front door, Jongdae says something and Yifan echoes him; their words fall on deaf ears as Chanyeol leaves them behind and runs through the stairs of Yifan's apartment building. He exits the door and the slight breeze remind him that he has left the jacket inside, he doesn't move to go back and take it, instead he speed walks to the bus stop and waits for the next vehicle to bring him back home.

  
That night he dreams of reaching forwards and tasting Baekhyun's lips. After that, he spends the rest of the night looking at his ceiling, his frustration doesn't allow him any more rest. Today's events replay in his head and he seems to be unable to forget the ghost of Baekhyun's touch on his hand.

  
The uncomfortable feelings he had first tasted a few days ago, don't leave him for the rest of the weekend, he ignores most of the calls coming to his phone and spends the entire day lying around with no will to think about anything. Finally, Monday rolls in and he has to dump his books in his backpack and leave for his classes.

"Chanyeol!" the first person interjecting him is Yifan, he's alone, fortunately, but the scowl on his face makes Chanyeol want to run directly into the opposite direction "What happened to you?" he asks, looking genuinely worried, Chanyeol gulps and pushes a smile on his face

"I wasn't feeling too good..." he says, he passes a hand in his hair out of nervousness and he stiffens slightly when he sees that Yifan has noticed

"Are you sure? Are you ok now?" he asks, his rough voice is calm and steady, it irks Chanyeol greatly. His wolf snarls inside him and he can see Yifan's expression change, without any doubt because of Chanyeol's pheromones "Did I do something?" he asks then and Chanyeol stares at him, without having a clue of how to explain his behaviour, when he doesn't even understand it himself.

"N-No, I'm sorry. It's not your fault" he says the only thing he's sure of and shoots another smile to his friend, swerving in a strange sense of numbness, confused and lost; a stark difference from his wolf's vigilant presence. That's how his animal alter-ego has been for the past days, awake at all times and none of the suppressant, none of the old tricks have succeeded in calming it down; despite Chanyeol can feel its weariness transfer to his human bones, the wolf doesn't halt its personal crusade even for a second, continuing to wait for something that Chanyeol can't explain.

"Okay," Yifan reaches for his shoulder and his wolf tells him to bare his teeth, Chanyeol blocks it out for as much as he can, choosing to pose his own hand on his best friend's instead "Call me... And if you see him, make sure Baekhyun doesn't get lost in the buildings."

Chanyeol nods, stiff and unconvincingly, but if Yifan notices, he doesn't points it out.

  
The stairs to the lecture hall are filled to the brim, Chanyeol tries to squeeze himself among the people climbing and going down, having to stop more than once not to bump into someone. He hears his name being called from behind him, the loudness makes him think of Jongdae, but he never wanders to this part of the campus, so he just continues his slow ascent, telling himself that he must have heard wrong.

Seconds later someone grabs his arm and the strong flinch of his wolf transfers to his outer form. "Chanyeol!" the person shouts from his left and Chanyeol turns, finally realizing that he hadn't been hallucinating, but that someone had really been calling for him.

He's not sure what's the best way to tackle the situation. Baekhyun is walking beside him, just a few steps from getting out of this infernal staircase, with his hand deliberately holding him tighter than necessary and his brown, bright eyes having a hard time to hold the taller boy's gaze. In the end, Chanyeol is the one avoiding the other's eyes as tries to suppress his wolf's excitement by turning to look at the sight in front of him, without being able to actually see it.

"Hey," he greets, without showing any kind of emotion, detaching himself from his wolf's turmoil. He decides to use the same nonchalance with which Baekhyun has greeted him, despite of how unnecessary it feels.

"I was hoping you could help me around classes, we're following the same course..." His hand wanders and Chanyeol swallows, Baekhyun's fingers glide on his elbow and then downwards until he's keeping his wrist from moving away.

"...S-Sure." Chanyeol whispers, hating himself and his confusion. He wants to speak up, he wants to ask to the omega why is he not keeping his hands where they should be, why is it necessary for him to touch, caress and hold him down like this. Chanyeol doesn't though and doesn't move. They reach the top of the stairs and Baekhyun's touch lingers, he doesn't have the courage to see if he's still holing him physically or if it's just the bitter-sweet after-effect of the longing that his skin has for his touch.

He leads him to their next classroom, the conversation they share is merely about university and professors, Chanyeol explains and goes off by himself, meanwhile Baekhyun just nods and smiles; the alpha peeks times and times again until the room fills with more students and the class starts, after that they don't share anything else.

 

"So, how come you're back in the city?" Jongdae says before stealing a couple of fries from Sehun's lunch. Baekhyun looks at him and purses his lips, Chanyeol looks away immediately.

"I don't know, I guess I wasn't as ready to live abroad as I thought I was..." Yifan gasps and gives the omega a playful shove. Chanyeol's wolf has the immediate need to check if he was hurt by the light hit, but fortunately human Chanyeol has its strange urges under control... More or less.

"Not because you wanted to be reunited with me?" Yifan says dramatically making Jongdae groan and toss a fry to his face, much to Sehun's dismay. Baekhyun rolls his eyes and jabs his alpha with his elbow, Yifan laughs and circles an arm around him, he pouts his lips and leaves a soft kiss on the shorter wolf's.

Chanyeol's wolf seethes and he leaves the table "Sorry, I've got some stuff to finish for next class..."

"Ehm... Chanyeol," Chanyeol jumps slightly as the core of his confusing emotions stands up with him and calls "Are you going to the library? Can I come too?"

 _No, of course not_ he wants to say, but his wolf bans him from uttering anything of the sort "Sure" he says instead and his wolf preens.

At this point, his wolf is being quite direct with its wishes, although Chanyeol would normally indulge it at least a little; this time around he promises himself and his second nature that nothing of the sort is allowed to happen. If he had to give in to all of the animal's whims he would already have a personal harem of omegas, betas and even of a couple of alphas. There's almost no way to distinguish the reasons of his wolf's overeagerness, but somehow, this feels different than usual and he doesn't want it to worsen. It feels as if this time it isn't just its expansiveness fuelling his moods, but there's more of the most animalistic streak of its being, more of the true alpha within it, rushing behind its intentions.

He still can't ignore the possessiveness he had felt when he had held Baekhyun's hand. He figures it must be because Yifan has found a mate before he did and the notion seems to not sit well with his wolf, but then he sees his feelings reflected in Baekhyun's eyes and he can't not wonder if it's something else.

"Hey," Baekhyun speaks up and Chanyeol looks at him as he pushes the library's door open. They enter and Baekhyun continues with a whisper "I feel like I've done something to upset you... Maybe?" he questions tentatively and Chanyeol's pace stutters slightly as he nears one of the empty tables.

"Not really..." he says, not sure whether it's a lie or not.

"You're pheromones are kind  of... All over the place when I'm near and I just- I don't know, I just wanted to know what I had done." Baekhyun takes a seat near him, instead of taking the chair in front of him, and Chanyeol has a hard time coming up with something to say.

"I'm just stressed and my wolf is..." he turns and looks at Baekhyun, the omega scoots his chair closer and his damned hands reach for him "This might be part of the problem." he spills then, honesty it's always the best solution, he tells himself. Despite his expectations, the omega doesn't retreat and doesn't look surprised.

"Do you feel it as well?" he asks then and Chanyeol gulps

"What?"

"This." Baekhyun's fingers intertwine with his and they pose on Chanyeol's lap, fitting together perfectly, as if carved to be united as one "Like we're magnets." Chanyeol looks at their hands and then at Baekhyun, the pause becomes more tense as time ticks past them. The gaze they share is strange and Chanyeol feels it hook him to the omega, making him unable to look anywhere else, to be interested by anything else.

His wolf pushes against him with so much force, that he has to close his eyes a couple of times to gather himself, but the loss of the sight in front of him pains him physically.

"What does it mean?" Baekhyun asks, Chanyeol shakes his head and tears himself away,

"It doesn't matter," he takes back his books and glares at the omega when he makes a move to follow him again "This is nothing. This won't happen again." a whimper, meant to be the incipit of a complaint, leaves Baekhyun's lips, but Chanyeol fights against it and against himself to go through with his actions.

So what if their wolves enjoy each other's company, this doesn't mean Baekhyun can just overlook his position without thinking. The consequences are terrifying, Chanyeol doesn't want to be the home-wrecker, not his best friend's and not anyone else's; he'll be damned if a pair of pretty eyes will be enough to make him cave in.

  
He unapologetically avoids everyone for the next days. Calls, texts, emails he rejects every kind of mediation with the outside world, he has enough problems as it is and he doesn't feel the need to expand them to his friends' apprehensions. During class, he tries to arrive late enough to not have to sit with Baekhyun, fortunately it works, and during lunch he makes excuses, steadily less believable as time passes, to not spend it with his friends.

Only when Saturday comes around and he has only two hours with professor Zhang he allows himself some slack, a pause from his schemes to have a perfect spot to follow his favourite professor's class. He regrets it as soon as a familiar scent dances around the air he's breathing. He finds himself sitting near Baekhyun.

The first instinct is to panic. He looks around searching for a free spot but the room is already packed.

The second is to skip class and bid his goodbyes to the only couple of hours he actually enjoys of his course.

"Chanyeol, please" Baekhyun should learn to speak and then use his hands, Chanyeol thinks as the omega grasps his arm once again "Don't go."

"I wasn't going to" he lies

"We need to talk-"

"No we don't."

"Listen, fuck you, Chanyeol" Baekhyun's voice keeps steady but his eyes flash amber, Chanyeol is startled, but regains his composure without too many troubles "Do you think you're the only one dealing with this? Are you fucking kidding me?"

"I'm not the one trying to cheat on my boyfriend." Chanyeol whispers back, his most human part barely containing its rage and he doesn't flinch when Baekhyun raises a hand, threatening to slap, even if he doesn't go through with it. Although, he's forced to bare his teeth once Baekhyun begins to snarl and growl. The omega doesn't retreat at his response, instead he comes closer. None of them moves for a long time, they judge and size each other in silence. Chanyeol almost pounces but the motives of his wolf and his human are strikingly different.

"So we were saying... Soulmates, all right..." Professor Zhang's familiar voice speaks up, asking for the students' attention; triggering a domino of reactions that Chanyeol hadn't thought possible.

His wolf wails the _word_ out loud as if the professor had just provided it with the term he had been looking for; Chanyeol realizes his own voice has spoken when Baekhyun responds with the same word, but his voice is deeper than before, Chanyeol sees the wolf having the best of the other, his eyes become golden and his nails feel like claws when he curls his fist in Chanyeol's clothes

"Hey, you two! What are-" Chanyeol growls, he loses his balance and stumbles over himself and his natures, he stands up and pulls Baekhyun with him, curling his hand around his arm. He looks at the professor scolding him and manages to bow his head before filing out of the room.

He doesn't look at Baekhyun nor does he lend his ear to his complaining, until they're closed in a stall of the closest toilet.

"This can't be-" Chanyeol starts

"But it _is_." Baekhyun says

"No, we're confused." he realizes he's trying to reason with Baekhyun's wolf, so he stops talking, knowing better than to try the impossible; his own wolf is restless inside him, purring at the other's presence and clear scent, for the first time stronger than the alpha's scent he usually oozes. Baekhyun's hands grasp his shoulders and he strains his neck, until the tip of his nose is bumping into Chanyeol's.

" _Mate_ " Baekhyun's wolf's voice speaks and Chanyeol's responds with the same word, accepting reluctantly the steady pace in which his wolf overpowers him. He inches closer, his lips skim on Baekhyun's and his wolf pushes against its cage with all te strength it owns, needing to come out and touch, see his mate for himself. Chanyeol gulps and then looses himself as the animal comes forward.  His hands grasp Baekhyun's hips and his lips kiss the omega with no restraints. The first touches are careful but as soon as Baekhyun whimpers they change into animalistic and possessive gropes.

" _Mine_." they both repeat and Baekhyun grasps Chanyeol's hair painfully, the alpha growls but a smile breaches his lips, giving away the elation rushing through his veins. The human inside him panics as the wolf becomes even less merciful, its teeth grow and Baekhyun bares his neck; they're both caged by their wolves in the same way they had caged them until now and it's painful, it's irresponsible; the only thing they can stop is their wish to mark each other, but Chanyeol doesn't truly knows for how long they'll be able to deny it. Chanyeol doesn't bite, but he holds his teeth on Baekhyun's long neck, teasing and sending shivers on the shorter man's skin. The omega's hands touch him and explore everywhere until he settles on his pants and unfastens them hastily, Chanyeol growls, his arousal growing as the omega's hand slips inside his underwear. Baekhyun pumps him until his member hardens, meanwhile Chanyeol start working on his.

In a flurry of movements, he turns the omega, sending his front against the wall, and pushes down his jeans, he fits two finger in the crack of his behind and moans satisfied at the amount of self-lubrication gathered there. He moves up and down, teasing the other's perineum and entrance, skimming his fingernails over the sensitive pucker.

"You want my knot." the deep voice of his wolf speaks up, it doesn't ask, it states and Chanyeol has to agree with him, too far into his wolf's intense emotions to fight as fiercely as before.

"Yes, yes, please. _Please_." Baekhyun agrees too, he arches his back and spreads his legs "Alpha, please-" his voice is interrupted by high pitched sounds that drip with want and need, Chanyeol laps them all up, they fuel his prowess and his arousal, until the only thought in his head is to satisfy his mate.

He spreads the omega's cheeks and fits his cock between them, he's already swollen and his knot is starting to fill at the base. Baekhyun bends more, until his back is at ninety degrees and his voice begs Chanyeol to fill him up. The alpha coats his member with the omega's lubrication and then throws himself on him as he enters him. His arms bind around Baekhyun's smaller frame, whishing he could keep him there forever.

He forgets everything, he turns a blind eye to all the complaints and guilt, to hold his mate close to his chest as he gives his all to satisfy him.

His hips collide with Baekhyun's and his teeth tease and long to bite the mark on his naked neck. He distracts himself by fitting his nose in the shorter man's hair, taking pure sniffs of pleasure as he fucks them both to completion. Baekhyun keeps his head from his hair and moves his hips desperately, meeting Chanyeol's movements.

"Mate, mate... Don't leave us, Mate. You're the only one" he speaks breathlessly, his voice is strained and whiny, Chanyeol kisses his way to his lips, to his cheeks, his ear and any other place he can reach

"You're the only one" He growls, pushing himself deeper and lodging himself for as far as he can inside the other "You're mine."

Baekhyun nods countless times and shivers, his legs tremble and his thighs quiver "Mine..."

Chanyeol snarls as his knot locks in place and releases his come inside his omega, his arms hug him tightly. He squeezes him as his muscles go through the heady tidal of release, Baekhyun shakes with him and comes with a heavenly moan. Chanyeol thinks he's never heard anything more beautiful.

They fit together perfectly, like their hands, Chanyeol notices. It's blissful, he has never felt another person's presence being vital to his well-being, but right now it feels as if he might die once he lets go of Baekhyun.

"Chanyeol," the omega's voice startles him, "Don't leave me." this feels different and his wolf wails, nosing Baekhyun's neck. His tone is far from the eager wave of pleads he has spoken until now, it's closer to earth, it sounds closer to the reality they have to face now that the haze has passed.

Chanyeol finally gets a hold of his wolf and retakes possession of his body, but his arms stay exactly where they already are. He feels so much guilt, guilt for having thought only of himself instead of thinking that Baekhyun was going through the same thing and, of course, guilt for what he has done to Yifan; but still not enough to cover the way his heart fills with adoration as Baekhyun's head snuggles under his chin.

"This... is wrong" he says, but he doesn't even think of letting the other go "We can't be like this" he gets out in a steady whisper, not sure of from where he's taking all this confidence. Baekhyun doesn't say anything, his hands reach Chanyeol's and he grasps them tightly.

"We _have_ to be like this, Chanyeol" his voice trembles, the alpha feels a weight settle in his throat, clogging his words and the flow of his breathing "I can't be with anyone else"

No one says it out loud but Yifan is the person they're thinking of. Chanyeol pushes himself away, his knot has shrunk enough to set him free "I'm sure there's a way to stop this,"

"You don't want me?" Baekhyun asks, suddenly shy of his nakedness, he covers himself and doesn't meet the alpha's eyes, he puts back his pants and Chanyeol almost stops him to clean him and help him, but he doesn't allow himself such luxury. The question makes his arms fall limp on his sides, he tries to tell himself that no, he doesn't want him, but it's such a blatant lie. This isn't a question of whether he wants him or not, he simply just _needs_ him.

"I..." he starts but stops himself. Baekhyun grimaces and pulls his pants all the way up

"I know Yifan is important for the both of us... But I'm sure, he'll understand, we're-" Chanyeol steps closer, his mind runs with ideas, with options and solutions; but he needs just a moment of clarity. He puts his hands on Baekhyun's cheeks forcing his words to stall and he tilts his head upwards until they're staring into each other's eyes.

"We can't do this to him, he's like a brother... And he loves you so much, he loves you so dearly" Chanyeol's words speak for Yifan, but they might as well speak for himself too. Baekhyun's breath itches and Chanyeol's wolf wails loudly in his ears "If we're really _soulmates_ " he says, fearing the word he speaks, his skin crawls with chills "This must be one of the lives we don't spend together." he kisses him then, not giving him a chance to speak. Baekhyun bites him as his cheek wet in tears and Chanyeol holds back his own, wondering how do the stars find satisfaction in playing with them like this.

He leaves after that and it's only a week later that the dean accepts his transfer to a new university. Away from Seoul, away from his friends and away from Baekhyun.

 

 

 

Chanyeol looks at the nurses trying to manage their shifts and smiles at them when one turns towards him. He takes a mug of coffee and then leaves them alone in the break room, hopefully he'll find his peace somewhere else.

He can't stand night shifts. He has been a doctor for almost four years now, but they still feel as terrible as they did the first time he had to survive through one. He's tired and sore, his back still aches from the sprain he got last week, when doctor Kim dragged him to a golf match with the head of the hospital.

After some intense searching, he finds out that every free room is already occupied by other doctors and nurses. He has no other choice, other than going back to the break room. The nurses are still arguing and the first symptoms of a fierce headache start overtaking his reason.

His life feels dull. He hates it.

He finds no joy or satisfaction anywhere but in his work. The only instances, which truly remind him he's alive, are when he cures a patient, when he sees them smile and thank him for his work.

His friendships are forced by his shifts and they change every time the new timetable comes out. Nothing comes and stays into his life, everything' fleeting and void of any meaning.

Chanyeol takes a seat and feels his wolf shift inside him, its usual quietness breaks only when strictly necessary or when there's a ruckus that doesn't sit well neither with it nor with its human.

This life tastes like lemons and smells like the artificial scent of the hospital disinfectant.

Until now, he has spent every single day longing for the warmth he has lost, for his friends, for Jongdae's stupid grin and Yifan's brotherly nagging; he regrets terribly not having tried to stay in contact with them, but he knows that if he had, their separation wouldn't have been as calm as the one they've had. He tries not to think of _him_. He is something he leaves for when he's alone in bed, still dreaming of kissing him, like he had done the first time he had met him.         

One of the nurses slams the door behind herself and Chanyeol jumps, the drops of coffee that fall from his mug onto his white coat feel cold.

  
The next morning, when his shift finally ends, he drives himself home. The mirror in his foyer looks back at him with the severe lines of tiredness. He smiles at himself, he tells himself that it feels encouraging, today at least; he stretches his long arms and tries to undo the knots in his shoulders before getting in bed.

He dreams, as usual. He dreams of a familiar face and curious hands, feeling content to be reunited with him even if it's just for a short while. He doesn't regret what he did, but he had truly never expected the consequences to be this hard to master.

He wasn't even sure if soulmates existed before getting into university, they seemed a story more than anything, a legend. Despite the soulmates' rarity and dubious nature, Chanyeol is sure that he had been rooted deep into reality, when he found his own and that he's not imagining the dread of having to settle for anything lesser than what he had tasted then.

He wonders if Baekhyun did settle, if he had the perfect life Yifan had already planned for them. Chanyeol hopes he did, maybe this really was the one life they spend apart and he doesn't mind taking the short end of the stick. He settles deeper in his pillow and pushes the covers up to his chin, he'll wait until the next. If he can't find him now.

He scrunches his nose, thinking of the possibility; he feels selfish as he indulges his thoughts, but he can't stop himself from imagining a reunion, not necessarily romantic, but just to know how he's doing, what it has been like since Chanyeol left, after he changed his number and disappeared from his and their friends' lives. Do they miss him like he does? Are they angry at him for disappearing? Do they not care anymore? He turns on his side and lies down with his eyes wide open, his tiredness is replaced with longing.

  
The next day, he takes the first initiative to actively look for him since he has left Seoul. He figures he must be a doctor, so he uses the data in his computer in the hospital to have a look around, when he doesn't find anything, he turns to google, finding a few mentions, but nothing else.

He's suddenly restless and it makes him laugh at himself, even his wolf is in strangely high spirits; they're both too excited.

  
Suddenly, his mind starts wandering around whenever it can, conjuring and hoping harder than ever; he tells himself it must be because he's almost thirty and his wolf refuses to be old and full of regrets. He blames his wolf, but just not to think too much of the hopeful feeling making him believe that he might see him again.

For the next months, he stops avoiding meetings, golf matches and conferences with other doctors, _just in case_. Unfortunately he never sees him, not even a glimpse, and when he asks around, no one seems to know him.

It's fine. He has been living without him all this while and there won't be any difference, nothing has changed, he has tried, but now he just needs to give himself a bit more time to be able to open up again and wish for himself the same happiness he wishes everyday for Baekhyun.

  
He rarely takes days off from work, considering how that's the only gratification he gets in life; but today he decides to have a whole day of pointless lazing around. He needs to buy some stuff for his apartment and then he'll have the whole time to himself, to watch films and drown himself in junk food.

It feels good to be completely free for some hours, now that he knows what working really feels like, he can't help but laugh at when he was still in university and believing he must have been the busiest guy on the planet, when he was actually doing nothing but procrastinate and complain. He allows a tiny chuckle to escape his lips and his chest stings at the memories.

He stops his cart in the middle of an isle filled with sodas. Someone is struggling to get to the pepsi in one of the taller shelves, he passes by them comfortably, reaching up and handing them the bottle without looking

"Thank you," the person, a man, says and Chanyeol hums, feeling good about having helped someone off work, his wolf stirs too, but he doesn't give it too much thought. He reaches up again, after the man has moved forward, to take another bottle of the same beverage. He fits it into his cart, finding another identical bottle along side it. His eyes glide in the cart and he notices another soda he hasn't taken. There's a hand gripping the metal structure of his cart and when he looks at the body attached to it, he finds the same man he had helped earlier. Is this a new kind of stealing tactic?

"Ehm, sir? This is my cart," he says defensively, already reaching for the two extra bottles.

"Oh, sorry-" the man gasps. Chanyeol's eyebrows furrow and his wolf goes mayhem inside him, it's been so long since it's been this agitated that he can barely contain it. He looks up, telling himself not to fall for anyone's trick, but then he freezes.

Tricked by the stars once again, he finds a familiar face welcoming him.

"Hi" Baekhyun says and Chanyeol smiles, he feels at peace "The carts... Are a bit similar, sorry."

Chanyeol glances at Baekhyun's cart, not completely surprised by the content identical to his own.

"No problem" he says, still smiling, his whole body is at the mercy of a blurred chaos of emotions. Baekhyun's scent finally filters in his nostrils clear and sweet, smelling a bit like something he has lost and a bit like home.

He wants to ask, he wants to say so much, but the omega steps towards him and they both keep silent. There's only a small trembling in his own lower lip warning him of his impending tears, so he surprises himself when the first trail of wetness rolls down his cheek. He's holding himself back, he had thought he would have been able to control himself if he had ever found himself back in front of him, but he clearly cannot.

Baekhyun smoothes his hands on his cheeks like Chanyeol had done before leaving him, when he was the one crying, and he reaches forward, his lips brush against Chanyeol's and then press lightly.

"You're still my only one."


End file.
